Soputan

Indonesia

1.112°N, 124.737°E; summit elev. 1785 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)

PVMBG reported that during 3-18 November white plumes were observed rising as high as 200 m above Soputan even though inclement weather sometimes obscured crater views. Seismicity was dominated by emission and avalanche signals, but was also characterized by low-frequency signals and volcanic earthquakes. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 1-4). Residents and tourists were advised not to approach the craters within a radius of 1.5 km, or 2.5 km on the WSW flank.

Geologic Background. The Soputan stratovolcano on the southern rim of the Quaternary Tondano caldera on the northern arm of Sulawesi Island is one of Sulawesi's most active volcanoes. The youthful, largely unvegetated volcano rises to 1784 m and is located SW of Riendengan-Sempu, which some workers have included with Soputan and Manimporok (3.5 km ESE) as a volcanic complex. It was constructed at the southern end of a SSW-NNE trending line of vents. During historical time the locus of eruptions has included both the summit crater and Aeseput, a prominent NE-flank vent that formed in 1906 and was the source of intermittent major lava flows until 1924.